It must’ve been this turtle’s unlucky day.
Actually, it might be more than unlucky. What is the word that means “more than unlucky” that applies to if you get attacked by not one, not two, but four or more sharks at the same time?
A numbers of tiger sharks and sandbar sharks (are we sure sandbar shark isn’t the mascot for Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Restaurants?) ganged up on a leatherback turtle, and things did not go well for the soft shelled reptile.
Leatherback turtles are the heaviest “non-crocodile” reptiles on the planet. The massive turtles can grow up to 6 feet in length and usually weigh around 1,000 pounds fully grown.
Despite their large size, they still lack the speed and ability it might take to successfully fend off attacking sharks.
The good thing for the leatherback turtle in the video is that their “soft shell” is still pretty hard to crack into.
The bad thing is that anything not covered by their shell is up for grabs by the sharks.
The caption on the post informs viewers that:
“These sharks don’t have a hope in hell of cracking open this turtle’s shell to get at what’s inside, so they are relegated to chomping at what hangs out.”
Not ideal for the leatherback turtle, as you’ll see in the video. I’ve mentioned that they have a soft shell a couple of times, but it might be more appropriate to say it is “softer” by comparison to other turtles.
The caption adds:
“Leatherback turtle shells are the only turtle shells that lack the hard, bony shell found in other turtle species.
The shells of leatherback turtles are composed of a layer of thin, tough, and rubbery skin which is what gives them their name. This skin is covered with small bone plates called osteoderms, which act as reinforcement.”
The poor turtle tries its best to defend itself, but it looks like it takes a lot of damage to its arms and legs protruding from its body.
However, it seems that the turtle can survive the attack, though it looks like it might be short a leg or an arm after the shark encounter. Their shells are still very protective against attackers and other dangerous circumstances, as explained in the caption:
“Despite their toughness, their shells can be punctured or sliced by sharp objects such as boat propellers or fishing gear like harpoons or spears.
However, their shells have been shown to withstand the bites of other predators such as crocodiles and killer whales, so try as they might, these sharks will eventually have to move on and look for something less challenging to feed on.”
If you happen to like turtles (if you do, you probably wouldn’t click on this headline), you might not want to watch this one.
